The third time was a charm for the Timberwolves on Tuesday night at Ball Arena.

Minnesota had chances to win the game at the buzzer in regulation and the first overtime, but it took a second overtime and a chaotic final 15 seconds to the Timberwolves to leave Denver with a 140-139 victory.

“Tough break,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “I think we did everything to put ourselves in position to win. I thought our guys gave tremendous effort for four quarters, for two overtime periods. As a coach, I can’t ask for anything more. Obviously, I feel awful for us.”

Nikola Jokic capped his historic 61-point, 10-rebound, 10-assist performance with a free throw that put Denver up one with 18 seconds left, but the highest-scoring game of his career and the highest-scoring triple-double in NBA history was not enough.

Unsurprisingly, Jokic wasn’t in the mood for reflection after a grueling game.

“It’s just another game,” Jokic said.

“I think it’s another thing for after (my career), sitting on the couch, drinking beer.”

Jokic played more than 52 minutes with his last break coming early in the second quarter.

“He’s the best I’ve ever seen,” Christian Braun said. “It’s really amazing, just the things he does defensively, offensively. He gets 60, 10 and 10 tonight, hits every big shot. Every shot that mattered, he hit. We trust him with the ball. Every time you give it to him, it seems like something really, really positive for us. I’ve never seen a player that makes that many perfect plays every single time.”

Minnesota took a timeout to advance the ball, but Russell Westbrook picked off a pass and started a two-on-one fast break. Westbrook missed the layup with nine seconds left, leaving Minnesota one last chance to win it.

“It was the right decision to do, probably,” Jokic said.

It looked like the Nuggets had won when Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s 3-pointer at the buzzer missed, but the home crowd’s jubilation drowned out the whistle. Westbrook was called for a foul with 0.0 seconds on the clock, and Alexander-Walker made the first two of his free throws to end the game.

Anthony Edwards led the Timberwolves with 34 points, while Julius Randle and Alexander-Walker added 26 points apiece.

Aaron Gordon added 30 points, eight rebounds and five assists for Denver. Christian Braun had 18 points and 12 rebounds, while Westbrook led Denver’s reserves with 12 points.

Randle had a shot to end it in regulation after a well-timed double team from Denver forced Edwards to give the ball up in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. Randle got a look at a step-back 3 over Peyton Watson’s reach but missed and the game went to overtime.

“I don’t think it should’ve gone to overtime. I thought we had chances in the fourth quarter, and I didn’t think our defense was able to get the stops when we needed to,” Malone said.

“Man, I know it’s a loss, but I’m proud of our group for how we showed up tonight.”

The sequence repeated itself in the final seconds of overtime, but Randle made the extra pass to Alexander-Walker in overtime. Alexander-Walker’s jumper missed, and Watson blocked Jaden McDaniels’ put-back attempt to force a second overtime.

Without Jamal Murray, who missed the game with right hamstring tightness, and Michael Porter Jr., who was ruled out for personal reasons, the Nuggets started Jalen Pickett, Braun, Watson, Gordon and Jokic.

Jokic attempted a career-high 24 free throws, making 19 of them.

“They were really aggressive,” Jokic said. “It just happened to be like that, I think.”

The last one gave the Nuggets a late lead, but Minnesota made the most of its third and final opportunity. Minnesota extended its win streak over the Nuggets to six games dating back to last postseason.

“It was not from a lack of effort or care,” Malone said. “Sometimes it goes like that. That’s why we’ve just got to be strong. We’ve got to be resilient.”

TIMBERWOLVES 140, NUGGETS 139 2OT

What happened: Denver led by six after the first quarter and took a 53-52 advantage at halftime. Minnesota took a five-point lead to the fourth quarter, but Nikola Jokic’s late free throws and a stop at the buzzer sent the game to overtime. The Nuggets got another stop on the final possession of overtime to force a second. Nickeil Alexander-Walker ended the game with a couple of free throws with the clock expired.

What went right: Denver’s defensive-minded starting five got the job done early. The Timberwolves started 1 for 8 from the field and committed two turnovers before they made their second shot more than four minutes into the game.

What went wrong: Minnesota finished with a 40-14 advantage in bench points. Russell Westbrook scored 12 of Denver’s points off the bench, while Alexander-Walker scored 26 of the Timberwolves’ bench points.

Highlight of the night: Peyton Watson had an impressive first 30-second stretch early in the first quarter. First, Watson fought for a defensive rebound and got out in transition for a one-handed slam. Watson allowed Rudy Gobert to grab an offensive rebound on the next possession but recovered quickly enough to turn away Minnesota’s 7-foot-1 center at the rim.

Up next: The Nuggets are back at Ball Arena for Wednesday’s game against San Antonio.